Through this lesson, you will learn what defines political participation, explore some examples, and gain insight into why political participation matters in democratic societies.

What Is Political Participation?

For many, as American citizens, one of the aspects of our culture that many are most proud of is the extent to which they can take part in the political system. Whether they are voting for a new congressman, serving on a jury, or participating in a public protest, they can be fairly certain that their actions are going to have an influence on American politics in some way. For them, this is important because it is one of the ways in which Americans can contribute to their communities and be active members of society.

These civic activities are what are known as political participation, and they are a critical part of any democracy. As the name suggests, political participation simply means that a person is participating in the political process by making his or her opinions and beliefs known. In the social sciences, the term 'political participation' is often used to describe an action taken by a citizen to influence the outcome of a political issue.

Types of Political Participation

There are many different forms of political participation, and whether you know it or not, you've probably taken part in some of them at different points in your life.

Some of the most common forms of political participation are:

Voting: In a democracy, voting is the single most important form of political participation that a person can take part in because it ensures that politicians are elected by the people, rather than being assigned to their position of power by someone else.

Protest: Whether or not it is a constitutional right, as it is in the U.S., public protests are another important form of political participation because you are making your opinions known in a very obvious way, with the hope that your actions will influence or initiate change in a particular area of politics.

Public consultations: Like voting, public consultations (which are more commonly known as town hall meetings) offer ordinary citizens the chance to get together in a group with a politician or elected official in order to make their opinions and feelings known.

Jury duty: Although most people shudder at the thought of having to attend jury duty, it is an important type of political participation because it ensures that people who are charged with a crime are judged by people like them, rather than allowing the outcome to depend entirely on a single person, such as a judge.

While these are some of the most common forms of political participation, there are many others. These include:

Signing a petition

Writing a letter to a public official

Blogging about a political issue

Donating money to a cause

Volunteering for a campaign

Joining an activist or interest group

Holding a public official position

Occupying a building in an act of protest

Committing a terrorist act

As long as the activity involves ordinary citizens expressing their opinions by contributing to the political process, you can probably assume that it is a form of political participation.

Who Is it For?

Theoretically, in every country in which it is not forbidden, political participation should involve everyone. For example, even though a person has to be eighteen years old to vote or serve on a jury, people under the age of eighteen are still able to participate in protests, be a part of town hall meetings, or express their political beliefs in the hope that they might influence others.

Unfortunately, while it is intended for everyone, political participation can often be one sided or misrepresentative of a state or nation's population. Race or socioeconomic class, for example, might be reasons why people do not participate in the political process. If people come from a historically marginalized or oppressed racial minority, they may not feel as though their opinions matter in a political context, or they may believe that they do not possess the ability to influence the political system.

Democratic political systems require political participation in order to function properly. Therefore, regardless of a person's race, class, or any other characteristic, there are a number of different ways in which everyone can engage in political participation. In fact, in certain cases, interfering in a person's political participation might be a crime. For example, after the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed by Congress, it became a crime to prevent or discourage an American citizen from voting and doing so would be a violation of the law.

Lesson Summary

Let's review. As its name suggests, political participation is the act of participating in the political process by making your opinions known. Most often, this is done with the intention of influencing political situations, such as protesting in order to enact change or raise awareness. Although there are many different types of political participation, some of the most common include voting, jury duty, and participating in a town hall meeting.

Though it can at times be difficult to get people involved, democratic systems require political participation, regardless of a person's race, class, or other characteristic. In fact, in some cases, certain laws have been passed to stop someone from interfering in a person's political participation, such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Summary:

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